Andy Marshall and namesake Scott, both members of Lambert’s coaching staff, have been placed in caretaker charge, after an official statement from Villa confirmed his sacking.

Lambert won less than 30 per cent of his 115 matches in charge, and this was statistically the second worst record of his managerial career. He also coached Livingston, Wycombe Wanderers, Colchester United and Norwich City.

Reacting to the news on radio, Bolton Wanderers boss Neil Lennon, who played in Celtic’s midfield alongside Lambert under Martin O’Neill, said: “First of all, I’m very sad.

“Paul is a good friend of mine and was a great teammate at Celtic. Villa had been on a horrendous run and he’d had his hands tied for a long time in terms of finances.

“But ultimately you’re judged on results. It’s significant that they’ve just dropped into the bottom three and the very next day Paul’s gone.”

Lennon is also linked with the managerial vacancy at Villa Park, with odds of 12/1 available for him to succeed Lambert.

Villa have won just five Premier League games all season, with just one victory in the last 11. They remain in the FA Cup, however, and a face a fifth round home tie with fellow Midlands club Leicester City next.

USA national coach Jurgen Klinsmann, under contract until after the 2018 World Cup, is another boss linked with succeeding Lambert. This may have come about because of Villa’s American owner Randy Lerner.